Electronic receipt-linking database system

ABSTRACT

An electronic receipt system may generate electronic documents including receipt content associated with a transaction between an account holder and a third party, and automatically link the electronic documents to secure records corresponding to account transaction records in a secure database. An account holder may subsequently view an electronic document including the receipt from a secure network platform displaying the secure records for multiple transactions in the account. In some aspects, the electronic receipt system may retrieve the receipt from an email message transmitted to an email address assigned to the account holder by the electronic receipt system. In other aspects, the electronic receipt may be retrieved using an application on a user device corresponding to the electronic receipt system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/148,448, titled “Electronic Receipt-Linking Database System” andfiled on May 6, 2016, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/157,841, filed May 6, 2015 and titled“Electronic Receipt Capture,” the contents of each of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to databases systems, and, moreparticularly, although not necessarily exclusively, to linkingelectronic receipt content from electronic mail messages to securedatabase records viewable on a network platform.

BACKGROUND

Online retailers may use electronic receipts or invoices for electronicpurchases made by consumers on the Internet. An electronic receipt maybe transmitted to a consumer's electronic mail (“email”) inbox via anemail address provided by the consumer. Retailers at brick-and-mortarstores may also offer consumers the option to receive an electronicreceipt for their purchases via email in addition to, or in lieu of, apaper receipt. Consumers wishing to receive an electronic receipt mayprovide an email address corresponding to an inbox to which theelectronic receipt is transmitted from the brick-and-mortar store.

SUMMARY

In some aspects, a system may include a processing devicecommunicatively couplable to an electronic mail (email) server having acommon inbox for storing a plurality of email messages received in thecommon inbox based on a domain part of corresponding email addresses forthe plurality of email messages. They system may also include a memorydevice accessible to the processing device and including instructionsexecutable by the processing device to cause the processing device toretrieve the plurality of email messages from the common inbox. Thememory device may also include instructions to cause the processingdevice to determine an account holder associated with an email messageof the plurality of email messages using a local part of an emailaddress corresponding to the email message. The memory device may alsoinclude instructions to cause the processing device to identify receiptcontent within the email message. The receipt content may correspond toa receipt for a transaction between the account holder and a third partyusing an account associated with the account holder. The memory devicemay also include instructions to cause the processing device to extractmetadata from the email message. The metadata may include informationcorresponding to the receipt content for the transaction. The memorydevice may also include instructions to cause the processing device togenerate an electronic document including the receipt content and havinga format displayable to the account holder on a user devicecommunicatively coupled to the processing device via a network.

In certain aspects, the memory device may also include instructions tocause the processing device to identify, using the metadata, a securerecord of the transaction stored in a database having accountinformation associated with the account. The account information mayinclude a plurality of secure records corresponding to a plurality oftransactions and stored authentication information. The memory devicemay also include instructions to cause the processing device toassociate the receipt content, the metadata, and the electronic documentwith the secure record. The memory device may also include instructionsto cause the processing device to authenticate the account holder toallow the account holder to view, on the user device, the secure recordand the electronic document by comparing the stored authenticationinformation with authentication information received from the accountholder via the user device.

In another aspect, a method may include retrieving, by a processingdevice, an email message from a common inbox of an email server. Theemail message may include an email address having a local partcorresponding to a username of an account holder and a domain partuseable to direct the email message to the common inbox. The method mayalso include determining, by the processing device, an identity of theaccount holder associated with the email message using the local part.The method may also include extracting, by the processing device,receipt content within the email message. The receipt content maycorrespond to a receipt for a transaction between the account holder anda third party using an account associated with the account holder. Themethod may also include extracting, by the processing device, metadatafrom the email message. The metadata may include informationcorresponding to the receipt content for the transaction. The method mayalso include generating an electronic document including the receiptcontent and having a format displayable to the account holder on a userdevice communicatively coupled to the processing device via a network.

In certain aspects, the method may also include identifying, using themetadata, a secure record of the transaction stored in a database havingaccount information associated with the account. The account informationincluding stored authentication information and the secure record. Themethod may also include associating the receipt content, the metadata,and the electronic document with the secure record. The method may alsoinclude authenticating the account holder to allow the account holder toview, on the user device, the secure record, the electronic document,and the metadata by comparing the stored authentication information withauthentication information received from the account holder via the userdevice.

In another aspect, a system may include a user device that is operableby an account holder to view secure account information for an accountassociated with the account holder. The secure account information maybe stored in a remote database of an electronic receipt systemaccessible to the user device via a network. The remote database mayinclude a secure record corresponding to a transaction between theaccount holder and a third party using the account. The user device mayinclude a processing device and a memory device including instructionsexecutable by the processing device to cause the processing device toreceive authentication information from the account holder via akeyboard tool of the user device. The authentication information maymatch stored authentication information located in the remote databaseto authenticate the account holder to view the secure record on adisplay of the user device. The memory device may also includeinstructions executable by the processing device to cause the processingdevice to receive from the electronic receipt system, via the network,one or more user interfaces displayable on the display of the userdevice.

In certain aspects, the user interfaces may include a first userinterface for displaying transaction details included in the securerecord and corresponding to the transaction. The first user interfacemay include a first selection option selectable by the account holderusing a selection tool of the user device and corresponding to a firstrequest to view an electronic document corresponding to a receipt forthe transaction. The user interfaces may also include a second userinterface for displaying the electronic document and a second selectionoption selectable by the account holder via the selection tool andcorresponding to a second request to view or modify metadata associatedwith the receipt. The metadata may include (1) sender informationcorresponding to a sender of the receipt to an electronic mail (email)server via an email message and (2) timestamp information correspondingto a date that the email message was received by the email server orstored in a common inbox of the email server.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a network environment including anelectronic receipt system according to some aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting memory locations in the electronicreceipt system database of FIG. 1 according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting the electronic receipt system ofFIG. 1 according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting the user device of FIG. 1 accordingto some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a process for assigning an email address fortransmitting an electronic receipt according to some aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an example of a user interface for receiving a username forthe unique email address of FIG. 5 according to some aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is flow chart of a process for linking an electronic receipt to atransaction record according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is an example of an email message including an electronic receiptaccording to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for displaying an electronic documentlinked to a transaction record according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 is an example of a user interface including a selection optionfor viewing the electronic document of FIG. 9 according to aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is an example of a user interface displaying the electronicdocument of FIG. 9 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is an example of a user interface including a selection optionfor linking an electronic document to a transaction record according toaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is an example of a user interface for displaying a list of emailrecords including an electronic document selectable to attach to atransaction record according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a process for generating an electronicdocument of a receipt captured by a recording device according toaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is an example of a user interface including a live feed of arecording device for capturing a receipt according to aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 16 is an example of a user interface including input options fordescribing the receipt captured by the user device of FIG. 14 accordingto aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain aspects and examples of the present disclosure relate togenerating electronic documents from receipt content of an electronicmail (“email”) message and linking the electronic documents to securerecords in a secure database corresponding to a transaction. Theelectronic documents may be viewable by an account holder from a securenetwork platform displaying the secure records for transactions betweenthe account holder and third parties using an account. In some aspects,the electronic documents including the receipt content may beautomatically linked to a secure record in the secure database using themetadata or description transmitted with the electronic receipt. Forexample, an email message including electronic receipt content mayinclude “From” metadata having the email address from which theelectronic receipt was sent and “Timestamp” metadata indicating when theemail having the electronic receipt was sent by the retailer. The “From”metadata may be used to determine a retailer for a transactionassociated with the electronic receipt. The electronic receipt systemaccording to some aspects may link the electronic document (includingthe receipt content) to a secure record stored in the database bymatching the metadata with a secure record corresponding to atransaction involving the same retailer indicated by the “From” metadataand occurring at or about the same time as the time indicated by the“Timestamp” metadata. When the account holder is authenticated to viewthe transaction record, details from the transaction record may bedisplayed, including a hyperlink or other access point for accessing theelectronic document linked to the transaction record.

In some aspects, the account holder may be assigned a unique emailaddress for receiving electronic receipts for purchases made by theaccount holder from third parties, including various retailers. Theemail address may include a local part corresponding to the accountholder and a domain part corresponding to an entity managing the accountand electronic receipt system. An electronic mail (“email”) messagehaving an electronic receipt for the purchase may be transmitted to andstored in a common inbox associated with the account-managing entity. Asystem according to some aspects may capture the email message from thecommon inbox, extract metadata and receipt content from the emailmessage, and convert the receipt content to an electronic document, suchas a portable document format (“PDF”) document. The system may use themetadata from the email message to identify and link the electronicdocument with a secure record stored in a secure database correspondingto a transaction associated with the electronic receipt.

In some aspects, a user device may include a client-side engine inmemory that may launch a device application for receiving images ofreceipts. The client-side engine may cause the user device to launch arecording device, such as a camera, of the user device to capture animage of a receipt corresponding to a transaction and to transmit theimage with a description of the receipt to the system. The system mayreceive the image, extract the description as metadata, and convert theimage into an electronic document that may be linked to a secure recordof the transaction in the database. In some aspects, the system mayfurther authenticate the account holder to access a network platform inwhich the account holder may view the secure record of the transactionand the electronic document linked to the secure record. Detaileddescriptions of certain examples are discussed below. These illustrativeexamples are given to introduce the reader to the general subject matterdiscussed here and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosedconcepts. The following sections describe various additional aspects andexamples with reference to the drawings in which like numerals indicatelike elements, and directional descriptions are used to describe theillustrative examples but, like the illustrative examples, should not beused to limit the present disclosure. The various figures describedbelow depict examples of implementations for the present disclosure, butshould not be used to limit the present disclosure.

Various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in variousenvironments. For example, FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a networkenvironment 100 including an electronic receipt system 102 according tosome aspects of the present disclosure. The electronic receipt system102 includes one or more server devices for linking electronic receiptsto secure records corresponding to transactions associated an accountheld by an account holder. The electronic receipt may include receiptcontent that describes the details of a transaction between the accountholder and a third party performed using money from the account. In someaspects, the electronic receipt system 102 may generate electronicdocuments including the receipt content. The electronic receipt system102 may identify the transaction record corresponding to the transactiondescribed in the receipt content and may link the electronic document tothe transaction record. The electronic receipt system 102 may include asecure database 104 in which the transaction records are stored.

The secure database 104 may be a secure location in the electronicreceipt system 102. The transaction records stored in the securedatabase 104 may be accessible to the account holder only subsequent tothe account holder being authenticated by the electronic receipt system102. In some aspects, subsequent to authenticating the account holder,the electronic receipt system 102 may generate one or a series of userinterfaces displayable to the account holder and including thetransaction records and the corresponding electronic documents includingthe receipt content associated with the transaction. In some aspects,the account holder may access the electronic receipt system 102 from auser device 106 to view the transaction records. The user device 106 maybe a computing device, such as a personal computer, smartphone, personaldigital assistant (“PDA”), tablet, or other device. The user device 106may be communicatively coupled to the electronic receipt system 102 viaa network 108, such as the Internet.

In some aspects, the electronic receipt system 102 may receive anelectronic receipt associated with a transaction from an email system110. The email system 110 may be accessible to the network 108 and mayreceive email messages including electronic receipts. The electronicreceipt system 102 may generate an email address for the account holderthat may be used by the account holder or third parties to transmitemail messages including electronic receipts to the email system 110.The email address generated by the electronic receipt system 102 mayinclude a local part and a domain part. For example, the electronicreceipt system 102 may generate the email address “john.doe@bank.com,”where “john.doe” is the local part of email address and “bank.com” isthe domain part of the email address. In some aspects, the local part ofthe email address may correspond to a username selected by the accountholder and associating the email address with the account holder in thesecure database 104. The email system 110 may include a common inbox 112for storing email messages received by the email system 110. Emailmessages transmitted to an email address having the same domain part(e.g., “bank.com”) may be routed by the email system 110 to the commoninbox 112.

In some aspects, the email message including the electronic receipt maybe transmitted to the email system by a retailer 114. The retailer 114may be a third party, such as a merchant, service provider, entity, orindividual involved in the transaction with the account holder. Forexample, the account holder may purchase goods or services from theretailer 114 and the retailer 114 may generate an electronic receiptdocumenting the payment transaction for the goods or services. Theaccount holder may provide the retailer 114 with the email addressgenerated by the electronic receipt system 102 and may transmit anelectronic copy of the receipt to the email address provided by theaccount holder.

The electronic receipt system 102 may retrieve the email message fromthe common inbox 112 and may associate them with the account holderusing the local part of the email address (e.g., “john.doe”). Theelectronic receipt system 102 may be communicatively coupled to theemail system 110 via the network 108. Although the email system 110 isshown in FIG. 1 as a separate system from the electronic receipt system102, the email system 110 may alternatively be a subsystem of theelectronic receipt system 102 without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. Similarly, the electronic receipt system 102 and theemail system 110 may be communicatively coupled through a networkseparate from the network 108 or through a bus. The electronic receiptsystem 102 may associate the email including the electronic receipt withthe account holder based on the local part of the email address, whichmay correspond to a username of the account holder.

In additional and alternative aspects, the electronic receipt system 102may receive an electronic receipt directly from the account holder viathe user device 106. In some aspects, the user device 106 may launch aclient-side application that may allow the account holder to upload areceipt image captured by a camera of the user device 106 or retrievedfrom a storage device of the user device. For example, the client-sideapplication may allow the account holder to take a picture of a paperreceipt corresponding to a transaction between the account holder andthe retailer 114. The account holder may transmit the receipt image tothe electronic receipt system 102 from the user device 106 via thenetwork 108. The client-side application may also allow the accountholder to input a description of the receipt that may be transmitted tothe electronic receipt system 102 with the receipt image.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting memory locations in the electronicreceipt system's 100 secure database 104 according to aspects of thepresent disclosure. The secure database 104 may associate informationwithin each location to link electronic documents including electronicreceipt content to an appropriate account holder. The secure database104 may also use the associations to allow an account holder, subsequentto authentication by the electronic receipt system 102, to viewelectronic documents having information corresponding to a secure recordstored in the secure database 104 from a user device via the network 108of FIG. 1. In some aspects, the information may be associated in one ormore indices in the secure database 104. For example, an index mayinclude one or more columns, each including information that isassociated with additional information in the same column of the index.In additional and alternative aspects, the information may be associatedusing pointers, objects, or other means for associating relatedinformation in the secure database 104. The information stored in thesecure database 104 may be separated or partitioned by information typeto allow the electronic receipt system 102 to query information based onthe type. In some aspects, the association between the informationstored in the secure database 104 may allow the electronic receiptsystem 102 to query information based on one type and use theassociations to determine information of another type that is associatedwith the queried information.

Holder identifiers 200 are stored in the secure database 104 and includeinformation corresponding to an identity of the account holders of theelectronic receipt system 102. In some aspects, the holder identifiers200 may include a unique set of alphanumeric characters, such as anonline banking (“OLB”) number assigned to each account holder by theelectronic receipt system 102 to distinguish each account holder fromthe others. In other aspects, the holder identifier 200 may include aunique set of alphanumeric characters provided by or issued to eachaccount holder, such as, but not limited to a social security number ordriver's license number. The holder identifier 200 for each accountholder may be used to associate account information 202, authenticationinformation 204, and email identifiers 206 with the account holder asrepresented by the arrows in FIG. 2.

The account information 202 may include information corresponding to oneor more accounts held by each account holder. Examples of informationthat may be included as account information 202 may include an accountnumber or a routing number associated with the account. The accountinformation 202 may be associated with a holder identifier 200corresponding to the account holder. The authentication information 204may include information that may be used to authenticate the accountholder to view secure records stored in the secure database 104. In someaspects, the authentication information 204 may include informationprovided by the account holder, such as, but not limited to, a username,password, social security number, passcode, or other authenticatinginformation. In other aspects, the authentication information 204 mayinclude information provided to the account holder, such as a personalidentification number (“PIN”). The authentication information 204 may bestored in the secure database 104 and compared with input from theaccount holder via a user device (e.g., user device 106 of FIG. 1) for amatch to conclude that the account holder is authorized to view theaccount information. In some aspects, the account information 202 may beaccessed using the authentication information 204. For example,subsequent to the electronic receipt system 102 authenticating theaccount holder, the association between the authentication information204 and the holder identifier 200 and the association between the holderidentifier 200 and the account information 202 may be used to identifyaccount information 202 corresponding to the authenticated accountholder. The email identifiers 206 may include information correspondingto an email address generated by the electronic receipt system 102 thatmay be used to transmit electronic receipts to the system 102. In someexamples, the email identifiers 206 may include a username that may beused as the local part of an email address assigned to the user. Theemail address may be used by third parties to transmit electronicreceipts to the electronic receipt system 102.

The secure database 104 also includes transaction information 208. Thetransaction information 208 may include secure records corresponding totransactions between account holders and third parties for accountscorresponding to the account information 202. The transactioninformation 208 is associated with the account information 202 to allowthe electronic receipt system 102 to determine to which account eachsecure record belongs. An email records list 210 may include emailrecords corresponding to the email messages including electronicreceipts that are received by the electronic receipt system 102 from thecommon inbox 112 of FIG. 1. The email records in the email records list210 are associated with the account information 202, the emailidentifiers 206, and the transaction information 208. The email recordsin the email records list 210 may be associated with the accountinformation 202 to allow email records not automatically matched to asecure record of the transaction information 208 to be accessible to theaccount holder for manually matching. The email records in the emailrecords list 210 may be associated with the transaction information 208to allow the account holder to view email records in the email recordslist 210 previously matched to a secure record of the transactioninformation 208. The email records in the email records list 210 may beassociated with the email identifiers 206 to allow the electronicreceipt system 102 to determine the email record associated with aparticular account holder subsequent to retrieving the email messagesfrom the common inbox 112 of FIG. 1. For example, the electronic receiptsystem 102 may retrieve an email message from the common inbox 112 anduse the username stored as an email identifier 206 in the securedatabase 104 to generate an email record and associate the email recordwith the account holder using the username.

The electronic documents 212 may include electronic documents generatedby the electronic receipt system 102 and including receipt contentextracted from the email messages retrieved by the electronic receiptsystem 102 from the common inbox 112 of FIG. 1. The electronic documents212 may be associated with the transaction information 208 to allow anelectronic receipt having receipt content corresponding to a transactionto be viewed by the account holder from a user interface includinginformation from the secure record of the transaction information 208corresponding to the transaction. The electronic documents 212 may alsobe associated with the email record to allow the electronic documents212 to be viewed by the account holder from a user interface displayingemail records in an account holder's email records list 210. Althoughspecific direct and indirect associations are shown, the electronicreceipt system may have additional or alternative associations withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting the electronic receipt system 102according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The electronicreceipt system 102 includes a processing device 300, a memory device302, and a bus 304 connecting the processing device 300 and the memorydevice 302. The processing device 300 may execute one or more operationsfor receiving electronic receipts, generating documents corresponding tothe electronic receipts, and linking the documents to transactionrecords. The processing device 300 may execute instructions stored inthe memory device 302 to perform the operations. The processing device300 may include one processing device or multiple processing devices.Non-limiting examples of the processing device 300 may include afield-programmable gate array, an application-specific integratedcircuit (“ASIC”), and a microprocessor. The memory device 302 mayinclude any type of storage device that retains stored information whenpowered off. Non-limiting examples of the memory device 302 includeelectrically erasable and programmable read-only memory, a flash memory,or any other type of non-volatile memory.

In some examples, at least a portion of the memory device 302 mayinclude a computer-readable medium from which the processing device 300can read instructions of the memory device 302. A computer-readablemedium may include electronic, optical, magnetic, or other storagedevices capable of providing the processing device 300 withcomputer-readable instructions or other program code. Non-limitingexamples of a computer-readable medium include magnetic disks, memorychips, read-only memory, random-access memory, an ASIC, a configuredprocessor, optical storage, or any other medium from which theprocessing device 300 may read instructions. The instructions mayinclude processor-specific instructions generated by a compiler or aninterpreter from code written in any suitable computer-programminglanguage, including, for example, C, C++, C #, COBOL, Java, etc. Theinstructions may include an application, such as a server engine 306,that, when executed by the processing device 300, may cause theprocessing device 300 to generate a user interface or a series of userinterfaces for receiving authentication information from the accountholder, permitting the account holder to view transaction recordsassociated with an account, and to view and modify receipt informationcorresponding to electronic receipts received by the electronic receiptsystem 102. In some aspects, the secure database 104 may storeinformation received from an account holder via the user interfacesgenerated by the server engine 306.

The electronic receipt system 102 also includes a network interface 308.The network interface 308 may be coupled to the processing device 300and the memory device 302 via the bus 304. The network interface 308 mayinclude a network card or other device communicatively coupled to thenetwork 108 of FIG. 1 to allow user devices (e.g., user device 106 ofFIG. 1) to access the electronic receipt system 102. The networkinterface 308 may transmit the user interfaces generated by the serverengine 306 to the user devices via the network 108 of FIG. 1 and mayreceive information from the user devices.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting an example the user device 106according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The user device 106includes a processing device 400 and a memory device 402 coupled to abus 404. The processing device 400 may include one or more processors,including without limitation one or more general-purpose processors orone or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signalprocessing chips, graphic acceleration processors, etc.). The processingdevice 400 may execute one or more operations for generating userinterfaces and for transmitting information to the electronic receiptsystem 102 of FIG. 1. The processing device 400 may execute instructionsstored in the memory device 402 to perform the operations. Non-limitingexamples of the processing device 400 may include a field-programmablegate array (“FPGA”), an application-specific integrated circuit(“ASIC”), a microprocessor, etc. The memory device 402 may include anytype of storage device that retains stored information when powered off.Non-limiting examples of the memory device 402 may include electricallyerasable and programmable read-only memory (“EEPROM”), a flash memory,or any other type of non-volatile memory. In some examples, at least aportion of the memory device 402 may include a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium from which the processing device 400 can readthe instructions.

A computer-readable medium may include electronic, optical, magnetic, orother storage devices capable of providing the processing device 300with computer-readable instructions or other program code. Non-limitingexamples of computer-readable medium include, but are not limited to,magnetic disks, memory chips, ROM, random-access memory (“RAM”), anASIC, a configured processor, optical storage, or any other medium fromwhich a computer processor can read the instructions. The instructionsmay include processor-specific instructions generated by a compiler oran interpreter from code written in any suitable computer-programminglanguage, including, for example, C, C++, C #, Java, etc. Theinstructions may include an application, such as client engine 406,that, when executed by the processing device 400, may cause theprocessing device 400 to generate a user interface or a series of userinterfaces for allowing an account holder to transmit informationbetween the user device 106 and the electronic receipt system 102 ofFIG. 1. In some aspects, the memory device 402 may also include storagespace (e.g., datastore 408) in which content and data may be stored. Forexample, the datastore 408 may store shells or templates of the userinterfaces that may be used to generate user interfaces. In otheraspects, the datastore 408 may include one or more images captured by arecording device of the user device 106.

The user device 106 also includes a keyboard 410, a selection tool 412,and a display unit 414. The keyboard 410, the selection tool 412, andthe display unit 414 may be coupled to the processing device 400 and thememory device 402 via the bus 404. The keyboard 410 may be physicalkeyboard or may be a virtual keyboard displayed on the display unit 414and selectable by the account holder via the selection tool 412 to inputalphanumeric and other characters (e.g., a touchscreen keyboard). Theselection tool 412 may include a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, orother suitable means to allow an account holder to select items or otheravailable selections presented to the account holder on the display unit414. The display unit 414 may display user interfaces generated by theelectronic receipt system 102 or the processing device 400 of the userdevice 106 in response to instructions of the client engine 406. In someaspects, the display unit 414 may include any CRT, LCD, OLED, or otherdevice for displaying the user interfaces. The user device 106 alsoincludes a recording device 416. The recording device 416 may includehardware in or attached to the user device 106 that may allow theaccount holder to visually capture a receipt corresponding to atransaction. In some aspects, the recording device 416 may include adigital camera capable of generating an image of the receipt. Inadditional aspects, the images captured by the recording device 416 maybe stored in the datastore 408.

The user device 106 also includes a network interface 418 that may allowthe user device 106 to access the network 108 of FIG. 1 forcommunicating with the electronic receipt system 102. The networkinterface 418 may be coupled to the processing device 400 and the memorydevice 402 via the bus 404. The network interface 418 may include anetwork card or other device positioned in the user device 106.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a process for assigning a unique email addressfor transmitting an electronic receipt according to some aspects of thepresent disclosure. The process is described with respect to the networkenvironment 100 of FIG. 1, the associations of the secure database 104described in FIG. 2, and the electronic receipt system 102 of FIG. 3,though other implementations are possible without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

In block 500, the electronic receipt system 102 receives a request tocreate a profile including a unique email address. In some aspects, therequest may be received from an account holder via the user device 106.The profile may include information corresponding to the account holderand at least one account held by the account holder. In some aspects,the profile may include an OLB number associated with the accountholder's online banking activity and stored as a holder identifier 200for the account holder. In additional and alternative aspects, theprofile may include the account information 202, such as an accountnumber or routing number. The electronic receipt system 102 may retrievethis information from the secure database 104 or another databasecommunicatively coupled to the electronic receipt system 102 subsequentto authenticating the account holder to access the electronic receiptsystem 102. For example, the account holder may be prompted to enterauthentication information 204, such as a user identifier or passwordcorresponding to authentication information stored in the securedatabase 104, to verify that a user of the user device is the accountholder. The profile may also include an email identifier 206, such as ausername selected by the account holder. The username may be used as thelocal part of an email address that the account holder may use totransmit electronic receipts to the common inbox 112 for retrieval bythe electronic receipt system 102. The username may be stored in thesecure database 104 as an email identifier 206 and associated with theaccount holder and accounts held by the account holder as described inFIG. 2.

In block 502, the electronic receipt system 102 determines whether theaccount holder already has a profile established and stored in thesecure database 104. In some aspects, the electronic receipt system 102may use authentication information to identify the account holder andlocate information associated with the account holder in the securedatabase 104. In block 504, subsequent to determining that a profile isassociated with the account holder in the secure database 104, theelectronic receipt system may retrieve the username included in theprofile from the transaction. In block 506, the electronic receiptsystem 102 displays the unique email address using the usernameretrieved from the profile in the secure database 104 as the local partof the email address.

In block 508, subsequent to a determining that there is no profileinformation associated with the account holder in the secure database104, the electronic receipt system 102 generates a user interface toreceive a username from the account holder. In some aspects, the userinterface may be generated and displayed on a display unit 414 of theuser device 106. The user interface may include an input option to allowthe account holder to enter a username that may be used as a local partof the email address and stored as an email identifier 206 in the securedatabase 104. In some aspects, the username may be required to bedifferent from usernames selected by other account holders to ensurethat the email address is unique to the account holder.

FIG. 6 is an example of a user interface 600 for receiving a usernamefor the unique email address of FIG. 5 according to some aspects of thepresent disclosure. In some aspects, the user interface 600 may begenerated by the electronic receipt system 102. In other aspects, theuser interface 600 may be generated by the client engine 406 stored inthe memory device 402 of the user device 106 of FIG. 4. The userinterface 600 may be displayed on the display unit 414 of the userdevice 106 and includes an input option 602 in which the account holdermay enter a username to serve as the local part of the email address.The account holder may enter the username using the keyboard 410 of theuser device 106 of FIG. 4. The user interface 600 displays the domainpart 604 of the email address to illustrate what the account holder'semail address will be if the username is accepted by the electronicreceipt system 102. The account holder may select the selection option606 labeled “Save” to transmit the username entered into the selectionfrom the user device 106 to the electronic receipt system 102 via thenetwork 108.

Returning to FIG. 5, in block 510, the electronic receipt system 102generates a profile and a unique email address using the usernameentered into the input option 602 of the user interface 600 of FIG. 6 asthe local part of the email address. In some aspects, prior togenerating the profile, the electronic receipt system 102 may comparethe username entered by the account holder with all of the usernamesassociated with profiles of other account holders in the authenticationinformation 204 of the secure database 104 to determine whether theusername entered by the account holder is unique. One the profile isgenerated, the unique email address or the username used as the localpart of the email address or both, may be stored as authenticationinformation 204 in the secure database 104 and associated with theaccount holder.

FIG. 7 is flow chart of a process for linking an electronic receipt to atransaction record according to some aspects of the present disclosure.The process is described with respect to the network environment 100 ofFIG. 1 and the electronic receipt system 102 of FIG. 3, though otherimplementations are possible without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure.

In block 700, the electronic receipt system 102 may retrieve an emailmessage from the common inbox 112 of the email system 110. In someaspects, the common inbox 112 may include all email messages transmittedto email addresses having the same domain-name, despite having differentlocal parts. For example, the common inbox 112 may include an emailmessage routed to the email address user1@bank.com and an email messagerouted to the email address user2@bank.com since both email addressesinclude the domain part “bank.com.” The electronic receipt system 102may retrieve all email messages in the email address and sort them withthe appropriate account holder using the local part of the email addressassociated with the email message.

In block 702, the electronic receipt system 102 identifies the accountholder using the local part of the email address associated with theemail message. In some aspects, the electronic receipt system 102 maycompare the local part of the address with a list or array of usernamesstored in the secure database 104. The matching username may beassociated with a profile including the holder identifier 200, accountinformation 202, or authentication information 204 corresponding to theaccount holder to identify the account holder as the intended recipientof the email message.

In block 704, the electronic receipt system 102 extracts receipt contentand metadata from the email message. In some aspects, the server engine306 may include text-identifying program code or instructions to causethe processing device 300 to identify the metadata and the receiptcontent. In some aspects, the metadata may include informationcorresponding to the routing information included in the email message.For example, the metadata may include the “From” informationcorresponding to the sender of the email message, the “Date” informationcorresponding to a timestamp of when the email message was sent by thesender or received in the common inbox 112 of the email system 110. Insome aspects, the metadata may also include the “Subject” of the emailmessage. In some aspects, the receipt content may include the body ofthe email message. In some aspects, the body of the email message mayinclude an electronic receipt in text. In other aspects, the body of theemail message may include an electronic receipt as an image. Inadditional and alternative aspects, the receipt content may include anattachment to the email message. The server engine 306 may includeprogram code or instructions to cause the processing device 300 todetermine whether an attachment is included in the email address or todetermine whether text is included in the body of the email address. Theserver engine 306 may cause the processing device to extract themetadata and the receipt content from the email message and store themas files or objects in the secure database 104.

FIG. 8 is an example of an email message 800 including an electronicreceipt according to aspects of the present disclosure. The receiptcontent 802 may include the electronic receipt in the body of the emailmessage 800. In some aspects, the electronic receipt may be an imageembedded in the body of the email message 800. In other aspects, theelectronic receipt may be text in the body of the email message 800. Theelectronic receipt includes details corresponding to a transactionbetween the account holder and a sender. The email message 800 alsoincludes metadata 804. The metadata 804 includes sender informationcorresponding to the sender of the email message 800 (e.g., “SuperStore—Store Receipts <custserv@superstore.com>.” The metadata 804 alsoincludes at least the date that the email message 800 was received bythe common inbox 112 of the email system 110.

Returning to FIG. 7, the electronic receipt system 102 generates anelectronic document using the receipt content 802 extracted from theemail message 800 of FIG. 8. In some aspects, the server engine 306 maydetermine the format of the receipt content 802 (e.g., image, text,etc.) and may convert the receipt content 802 to a standard format thatmay be accessible from different user devices via the network. In someaspects, the server engine 306 may include known adapter instructions orprogram code to perform the conversion. In some examples, the format maybe compatible with document formats configured to be displayed in a webbrowser. In some aspects, the format may include a portable documentformation (PDF″). In other aspects, the format may include otherformats, including but not limited to, a Microsoft® Word® binary fileformat or XML document format, a log file, an OpenDocument text format,or a rich text format.

In block 708, the electronic receipt system 102 determines if there is atransaction record corresponding to the electronic receipt in thereceipt content. In some aspects, the server engine 306 may include amatching algorithm for matching the metadata extracted from the emailmessage to information included in the transaction records stored in thesecure database 104 and associated with the account holder. For example,the matching algorithm may include instructions for comparing all or aportion of the alphanumeric characters of the sender of the emailmessage in the metadata with a transaction record having a third partymerchant to a transaction having the same characters. The match betweenthe metadata and the transaction record may be confirmed oralternatively performed using metadata information from the “Date” lineof the email message compared with a timestamp of a transaction record.For example, the transaction record may include a timestampcorresponding to the date or time that the merchant submitted a requestfor funds from the account of the account holder subsequent the accountholder initiating the transaction using a payment card associated withthe account. The matching algorithm may compare the date metadata withthe transaction record timestamp to determine whether the correspondingtimes are within an acceptable range to determine a match.

In additional and alternative aspects, the electronic receipt system 102may match the electronic receipt to the transaction record using thereceipt content. For example, the server engine 306 may include code fordeciphering text from the receipt content to determine a transactionamount (e.g., $95.01 for the receipt content 802 of FIG. 8). Thematching algorithm may match the electronic receipt to a transactionrecord having the same amount, or may use the amount to confirm aprevious match based on the metadata.

In block 710, subsequent to identifying a corresponding transactionrecord to the electronic receipt, the electronic receipt system 102links an email record corresponding to the email message to thetransaction record. In some aspects, the email record may include theelectronic document generated by the electronic receipt system 102 andincluding the receipt content. In additional aspects, the email recordmay also include the extracted metadata and the extracted receiptcontent separate from the generated electronic document.

In block 712, the electronic receipt system 102 may store the emailrecord in the secure database 104. The electronic receipt system 102 maystore the email record in an email records list 210 in the securedatabase 104. In some aspects, the email records list 210 may includeall email records corresponding to email messages routed to the commoninbox 112 and addressed to the unique email address of the accountholder. In some aspects, blocks 710 and 712 may be performedsimultaneously where the electronic receipt data stores a transaction IDin the secure database 104 with the email record as a pointer to linkthe email record to the stored transaction record associated with thetransaction ID. The email records list 210 may include email recordslinked to secure records in the transaction information 208 as describedin block 710 and may include email records determined by the electronicreceipt system 102 not to correspond to a secure record.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process for displaying an electronic documentlinked to a transaction record according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure.

In block 900, the electronic receipt system 102 authenticates an accountholder to view a transaction record stored in the secure database 104.In some aspects, the secure database 104 or another database accessibleto the electronic receipt system 102 may include authenticationinformation 204 corresponding to the account holder, such as a useridentifier, a password, a social security number, and account number, aPIN, or other identifier. The account holder may be required to transmitthe authentication information from the user device 106 to theelectronic receipt system 102 via the network 108 (e.g., through a userinterface displayed on the display unit 414 of the user device 106 ofFIG. 4). The electronic receipt system 102 may receive theauthentication information from the user device 106 and compare it toauthentication information 204 stored in the secure database 104 toverify that the account holder is authorized to view secure informationrelated to the account associated with the authentication information204.

In block 902, the electronic receipt system 102 receives a request toview the transaction record. In some aspects, the request may bereceived from the user device 106 via the network 108 as a signalcorresponding to the request. In some aspects, the request may begenerated by the user device 106 in response to a selection of aselection option on a user interface generated by the electronic receiptsystem 102 or the user device 106 via the client engine 406 of FIG. 4.For example, a user interface may include multiple transaction recordscorresponding to transactions depositing or withdrawing funds from theaccount of the account holder. The transaction records may include aselection option to generate the signal corresponding to the request toview the transaction record.

In block 904, the electronic receipt system 102 determines if thetransaction record has an electronic document 212 linked to thetransaction record including receipt content corresponding to anelectronic receipt of the transaction. In some aspects, thisdetermination is made in response to the request to view the securerecord of the transaction information 208. In other aspects, thisdetermination may be made prior to the account holder selecting to viewthe transaction record. Using the example where the request is receivedvia a selection option on a user interface including a list oftransaction records, the electronic receipt system 102 may determinewhether an electronic document is attached to each of the transactionrecords included in the list subsequent to authenticating the accountholder to view the transaction records.

The electronic receipt system 102 may determine whether an electronicdocument is linked to the transaction record by determining whetherthere is a pointer or other link included in the secure database 104 inone or both of the locations where the transaction record and theelectronic document are stored. For example, the server engine 306 maycause the processing device 300 to identify a transaction ID pointercorresponding to the transaction record that is associated with theelectronic document in the secure database 104.

In block 906, subsequent to the electronic receipt system 102determining that an electronic document is linked to the transactionrecord selected by the account holder, the electronic receipt system 102displays information from the transaction record on a user interface.The user interface includes a selection option to view the electronicreceipt linked to the transaction record.

FIG. 10 is an example of a user interface 1000 including a selectionoption 1002 for viewing the electronic document of FIG. 9 according toaspects of the present disclosure. The user interface 1000 may bedisplayed to the account holder on the display unit 414 of the userdevice 106 of FIG. 4. In some aspects, the user interface 1000 may begenerated by the server engine 306 of the electronic receipt system 102.In other aspects, the user interface 1000 may be generated by the clientengine 406 of the user device 106 of FIG. 4. The user interface 1000 mayinclude details corresponding to the transaction between the accountholder and a third party. The details may include the name of the thirdparty, the date of the transaction, the amount withdrawn or depositedinto the account for the transaction, the method of payment for thetransaction, and the status of the transaction (e.g., posted, pending,etc.). The selection option 1002 may be selected by the account holderusing the selection tool 412 of the user device of FIG. 4. For example,the selection tool 412 may include a touchscreen and the account holdermay select the selection option 1002 by pressing the display unit 414 ofthe user device 106 of FIG. 4 in the area of the selection option 1002.The selection of the selection option 1002 may generate a signalcorresponding to a request by the account holder to view the electronicdocument of the email record linked to the transaction.

Returning to FIG. 9, in block 908, the electronic receipt system 102receives a request to view the electronic document. For example, theelectronic receipt system 102 may receive the signal generated inresponse to the account holder selecting the selection option 1002 ofFIG. 10 corresponding to the request to view the electronic document. Inblock 910, the electronic receipt system 102 generates a user interfaceincluding the electronic document.

FIG. 11 is an example of a user interface 1100 displaying the electronicdocument 1102 of FIG. 11 according to aspects of the present disclosure.The electronic document 1102 may include the receipt content extractedfrom the email message retrieved from the common inbox 112 by theelectronic receipt system 102. The user interface 1100 also includes aselection option 1104. In FIG. 11, the selection option 1104 is an iconthat may be selected by the account holder using the selection tool 412of the user device 106 of FIG. 4. A selection of the selection option1104 may generate a signal corresponding to a request by the accountholder to view or edit the metadata and description in the email record.

Returning to FIG. 9, in block 912, subsequent to the electronic receiptsystem 102 determining that there is no electronic document includingreceipt content linked to the transaction record selected by the accountholder, the electronic receipt system 102 displays the transactionrecord on a user interface. The user interface includes a selectionoption that may be selected by the account holder to link, or attach, tothe transaction record an electronic document previously transmitted tothe email system 110 or the electronic receipt system 102.

FIG. 12 is an example of a user interface 1200 including a selectionoption 1202 for linking an electronic document to a transaction recordaccording to aspects of the present disclosure. The user interface 1200may be displayed to the account holder on the display unit 414 of theuser device 106 of FIG. 4. In some aspects, the user interface 1200 maybe generated by the server engine 306 of the electronic receipt system102. In other aspects, the user interface 1200 may be generated by theclient engine 406 of the user device 106 of FIG. 4. In some aspects, theuser interface 1200 may be identical or similar to the user interface1000 of FIG. 10 with the exception of the selection option 1202 in placeof the selection option 1002 of FIG. 10. For example, the user interface1200 includes details corresponding to the transaction between the thirdparty and the account holder. The selection option 1202 may be selectedby the account holder using the selection tool 412 of the user device106 of FIG. 4. In some aspects, the selection of the selection option1202 may generate a signal corresponding to a request by the accountholder to identify an email record in the email records list thatcorresponds to the transaction record.

Returning to FIG. 9, in block 914 the electronic receipt system 102receives a request to attach an electronic document associated with aselected email record to the transaction record. For example, electronicreceipt system 102 may receive the signal generated in response to theaccount holder's selection of the selection option 1202 of FIG. 12corresponding to the request to attach the electronic documentassociated with the email record shown on the selection option 1202. Inblock 916, the electronic receipt system 102 displays a list of emailrecords retrieved by the electronic receipt system 102 from the commoninbox 112 of the email system 110 or from the user device 106 via thenetwork 108. In some aspects, the list may be displayed on a userinterface generated by the electronic receipt system 102 or the userdevice 106.

FIG. 13 is an example of a user interface 1300 for displaying a list1302 including email records that may be selected by the account holderto attach a corresponding electronic document to a transaction recordaccording to aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, eachemail record in the list 1302 may include a selection option that may beselected by the account holder via the selection tool 412 of the userdevice 106. In some aspects, the selection option corresponding to theemail records in the list 1302 may generate a signal corresponding to arequest to attach the selected email record to the transaction recorddescribed in FIG. 12. In other aspects, the selection option maygenerate a signal corresponding to a request to review the email recordor the electronic document associated with the email record selectedfrom the list 1302. The user interface generated in response to thesignal may include an additional selection option to generate the signalcorresponding to the request to attach the email record to thetransaction record.

The user interface 1300 also includes a selection option 1304 that mayallow an account holder to capture a new receipt from the user device106 that may be used to generate an electronic document for attaching toa transaction record. For example, in response to a selection of theselection option 1304, the electronic receipt system 102 or the userdevice 106 may generate a user interface including a live feed of therecording device 416 of the user device 106 of FIG. 4. The recordingdevice 416 may allow the account holder to capture an image of a paperreceipt that may be transmitted to the electronic receipt system 102.The image of the receipt may be used as receipt content for generatingan electronic document that may be linked to the transaction record.

Returning to FIG. 9, in block 918, the electronic receipt system 102receives the selection of the email record associated with one of theemail records in the list 1302 of email records of FIG. 13. In someaspects, the selection may correspond to a signal transmitted from theuser device 106 and received by the electronic receipt system 102 viathe network 108 corresponding to a request to attach the electronicdocument corresponding to the email record from the list 1302 to thetransaction record. In one example, the signal may be generated by theselection of the selection option corresponding to the email record inthe list 1302 of FIG. 13. In another example, the selection of theselection option corresponding to an email record from the list 1302 maygenerate a signal corresponding to a request to view the electronicdocument or email record to determine if it corresponds to the correcttransaction associated with the transaction record. The user interfacedisplaying the electronic document or email record may include anadditional selection option to generate the signal corresponding to arequest to attach the electronic document to the transaction.

In block 920, the electronic receipt system 102 links the electronicdocument of the selected email record to the transaction record. Forexample, the electronic document may be linked to the transaction recordas described in block 710 of FIG. 7. Subsequent to linking theelectronic document to the email record, when the transaction record isselected by the account holder for viewing the details of thetransaction record as described in block 902, the electronic receiptsystem 102 may determine that the electronic document is attached to thetransaction record and generate a user interface, such as user interface1000 of FIG. 10, displaying the details of the transaction record with aselection option to view the electronic receipt as described in blocks904 and 906.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a process for generating an electronicdocument of a receipt captured by a user device according to aspects ofthe present disclosure. The process is described with respect to thenetwork environment 100 of FIG. 1, the electronic receipt system 102 ofFIG. 3, and the user device 106 of FIG. 4, though other implementationsare possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

In block 1400, the user device 106 may receive a request to capture anew receipt. In some aspects, the user device 106 may receive therequest in response to a selection by the account holder from a userinterface including a selection option corresponding to the request. Forexample, the user interface 1300 of FIG. 13 may be displayed on the userdevice 106 and the selection option 1304 may correspond to the requestto capture a new receipt that the account holder would like to attach toa transaction record in the secure database 104. The account holder mayselect the selection option 1304 using the selection tool 412 of theuser device 106. In response, a signal may be generated corresponding tothe request. In some aspects, the signal may be transmitted to theelectronic receipt system 102 and the electronic receipt system 102 maytransmit a second signal to the user device 106 in response to instructthe user device 106 to take an action for allowing the account holder tocapture the new receipt. In other aspects, the signal generated inresponse to the selection of the selection option 1304 may be receiveddirectly by the user device 106 via the client engine 406.

In block 1402, the user device 106 launches the recording device 416 ofthe user device 106 to capture the new receipt. In some aspects, theclient engine 406 may include instructions to cause the processingdevice to actuate the recording device 416 in response to receiving thesignal corresponding to the request to capture a new receipt. Therecording device 416 may include a camera or other capturing deviceconfigured to generate an image of the new receipt. Upon the launch ofthe recording device 416, the user device 106 or the electronic receiptsystem 102 may generate a user interface including a live feed of therecording device 416. In some aspects, the client engine 406 of the userdevice 106 may cause the processing device 400 of the user device 106 toretrieve templates of the user interface to generate the user interface.In other aspects, the server engine 306 of the electronic receipt system102 may cause the processing device of the electronic receipt system 102to generate the user interface and transmit the user interface to theuser device 106 via the network 108.

FIG. 15 is an example of a user interface 1500 including a live feed1502 of the recording device 416 of the user device 106 for capturing areceipt according to aspects of the present disclosure. The live feed1502 may include a real-time graphical representation of an objectpositioned in front of a lens of the recording device 416. For example,the live feed 1502 of FIG. 15 includes a graphical representation of apaper receipt 1504. The user interface 1500 also includes a capturebutton 1506. The capture button 1506 may include a selection option thatmay be selected by the account holder to cause the recording device 416to capture an image of the paper receipt 1504 in the live feed 1502.

Returning to FIG. 14, in block 1404, the recording device 416 capturesan image of the new receipt. In some aspects, the recording device 416may capture the image in response to the account holder selecting thecapture button 1506 of FIG. 15. In other aspects, the recording device416 may include separate buttons on the recording device 416 itself tocause the recording device 416 to capture the image.

In block 1406, the user device 106 or the electronic receipt system 102generates a user interface including input options to receive adescription for the new receipt. The description for the new receiptinformation may include details corresponding to the transaction, suchas, but not limited to, the third party of the transaction, the amountof the transaction, an explanation or personal description for thetransaction, and a time of the transaction.

FIG. 16 is an example of a user interface 1600 including input optionsfor describing the receipt captured by the user device of FIG. 14according to aspects of the present disclosure. The input optionsincluded in the user interface 1600 include a sender input option 1602corresponding to the third party of the transaction, a date input option1604 corresponding to the date or time of the transaction, and a subjectinput option 1606 corresponding to a personal description of thetransaction. In some aspects, the account holder may select the inputoption 1602, 1604, 1606 using the selection tool 412 and then use thekeyboard 410 of the user device to enter alphanumeric text correspondingto the appropriate description. In FIG. 16, the keyboard 410 of the userdevice 106 includes a touchscreen keyboard 1608 that may be overlaidonto the user interface 1600. In some aspects, the touchscreen keyboard1608 may be displayed in response to a selection of one of the inputoptions 1602, 1604, 1606 to allow the account holder to enter textcorresponding to the description of the receipt. The account holder mayuse the selection tool 412 of the user device 106 (e.g., a touchscreen)to select the alphanumeric categories for entering the text of thedescription. The account holder may submit the image captured by therecording device 416 and the description entered into the input options1602, 1604, 1606, and by selecting, via the selection tool 412, theassign button 1610.

In some aspects, the user interface 1600 may also represent a userinterface generated in response to a selection of the selection option1104 in FIG. 11 corresponding to a request to edit a description of theelectronic receipt displayed in the electronic document 1102. Forexample, the description may correspond to the metadata extracted fromthe email message and corresponding to the electronic receipt.

Returning to FIG. 14, in block 1408, the user device 106 may transmitthe image and description of the receipt captured by the recordingdevice 416 to the electronic receipt system 102 via the network 108. Insome aspect, the image and description may be transmitted in response tothe selection of the assign button 1610 in the user interface 1600 ofFIG. 16.

In block 1410, the electronic receipt system 102 generates an electronicdocument including the image captured by the recording device 416 of theuser device 106. In some aspects, the electronic receipt system 102 maytreat the image as receipt content from an email message and generatethe document in the same manner described in block 706 of FIG. 7. Insome aspects, the electronic document may be linked to a transactionrecord in the secure database 104. For example, where the image of thenew receipt was generated in response to a selection of the capturebutton selection option 1304 of FIG. 13 to capture the image for aselected transaction record, the electronic receipt system 102 may linkthe electronic document generated using the image to the selectedtransactions. In other aspects, the electronic receipt system 102 maydetermine that there is not a transaction record corresponding to theelectronic document and store the electronic document in a list or arrayin the secure database 104 as described in block 712 of FIG. 7

The foregoing description of the examples, including illustratedexamples, of the invention has been presented only for the purpose ofillustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Numerousmodifications, adaptations, and uses thereof will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art without departing from the scope of this invention.The illustrative examples described above are given to introduce thereader to the general subject matter discussed here and are not intendedto limit the scope of the disclosed concepts.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A user device comprising: a processingdevice; and a memory device including instructions executable by theprocessing device to cause the processing device to: receive a firstuser interface from an electronic receipt system, the first userinterface being displayable on a display of the user device andincluding: transaction details about a transaction between a user of theuser device and a third party; and a first selection option that isselectable by the user via the user device for viewing an electronicdocument comprising a receipt for the transaction; based on a firstselection of the first selection option, receive a second user interfacefrom the electronic receipt system, the second user interface beingdisplayable on the display of the user device and including: theelectronic document; and a second selection option that is selectable bythe user via the user device for modifying metadata associated with thereceipt, the metadata including (1) sender information corresponding toa sender of the receipt to an electronic mail (email) server via anemail message and (2) timestamp information corresponding to a date andtime that the email message was received by the email server or storedin a common inbox of the email server, and the metadata being differentfrom receipt content within the email message; based on a secondselection of the second selection option, enable the user to modify themetadata associated with the receipt; receive modified metadata for thereceipt as user input; and transmit the modified metadata to theelectronic receipt system, wherein the electronic receipt system isconfigured to store the modified metadata in relation to the receipt,and wherein the electronic receipt system is configured to identify asecure record of the transaction stored in a database based on thetimestamp information in the metadata.
 2. The user device of claim 1,wherein the memory device further includes instructions that areexecutable by the processing device to cause the processing device toreceive a third user interface from the electronic receipt system, thethird user interface including: a first input option for allowing theuser to modify the sender information; and a second input option forallowing the user to input a description of the transaction.
 3. The userdevice of claim 1, wherein the memory device further includesinstructions that are executable by the processing device to cause theprocessing device to receive a third user interface from the electronicreceipt system, the third user interface including an input option forallowing the user to modify the timestamp information associated withthe transaction.
 4. The user device of claim 1, wherein the user deviceincludes a recording device, and wherein the memory device furtherincludes instructions that are executable by the processing device tocause the processing device to: operate the recording device to capturean image of a new receipt for a second transaction between the user anda new third party; receive an input from the user, the input including areceipt detail corresponding to the new receipt, the receipt detailincluding at least one of (1) a name of the new third party, (2) atransaction date of the second transaction, or (3) a description of thesecond transaction; and transmit the image and the receipt detail to theelectronic receipt system for storage.
 5. The user device of claim 4,wherein the memory device further includes instructions that areexecutable by the processing device to cause the processing device toreceive, from the electronic receipt system: a third user interfaceincluding details corresponding to the second transaction and a thirdselection option, the third selection option being selectable by theuser via the user device for associating the image and the receiptdetail with the secure record.
 6. The user device of claim 1, whereinthe user device is a mobile device.
 7. The user device of claim 1,wherein the memory device further includes instructions that areexecutable by the processing device to cause the processing device toreceive authentication information from the user of the user device forauthenticating the user with the electronic receipt system to access thesecure record of the transaction between the user and the third party.8. A method comprising: receiving, by a user device, a first userinterface from an electronic receipt system, the first user interfacebeing displayable on a display of the user device and including:transaction details about a transaction between a user of the userdevice and a third party; and a first selection option that isselectable by the user via the user device for viewing an electronicdocument comprising a receipt for the transaction; receiving, by theuser device and based on a first selection of the first selectionoption, a second user interface from the electronic receipt system, thesecond user interface being displayable on the display of the userdevice and including: the electronic document; and a second selectionoption that is selectable by the user via the user device for modifyingmetadata associated with the receipt, the metadata including (1) senderinformation corresponding to a sender of the receipt to an electronicmail (email) server via an email message and (2) timestamp informationcorresponding to a date and time that the email message was received bythe email server or stored in a common inbox of the email server, andthe metadata being different from receipt content within the emailmessage; based on a second selection of the second selection option,enabling, by the user device, the user to modify the metadata associatedwith the receipt; receiving, by the user device, modified metadata forthe receipt as user input; and transmitting, by the user device, themodified metadata to the electronic receipt system, wherein theelectronic receipt system is configured to store the modified metadatain relation to the receipt, and wherein the electronic receipt system isconfigured to identify a secure record of the transaction stored in adatabase based on the timestamp information in the metadata.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising receiving a third user interfacefrom the electronic receipt system, the third user interface including:a first input option for allowing the user to modify the senderinformation; and a second input option for allowing the user to input adescription of the transaction.
 10. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising receiving a third user interface from the electronic receiptsystem, the third user interface including an input option for allowingthe user to modify the timestamp information associated with thetransaction.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the user device includesa recording device, and further comprising: operating the recordingdevice to capture an image of a new receipt for a second transactionbetween the user and a new third party; receiving an input from theuser, the input including a receipt detail corresponding to the newreceipt, the receipt detail including at least one of (1) a name of thenew third party, (2) a transaction date of the second transaction, or(3) a description of the second transaction; and transmitting the imageand the receipt detail to the electronic receipt system for storage. 12.The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, from theelectronic receipt system: a third user interface including detailscorresponding to the second transaction and a third selection option,the third selection option being selectable by the user via the userdevice for associating the image and the receipt detail with the securerecord.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the user device is a mobiledevice.
 14. The method of claim 8, further comprising receivingauthentication information from the user of the user device forauthenticating the user with the electronic receipt system to access thesecure record of the transaction between the user and the third party.15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program codethat is executable by a processing device of a user device for causingthe processing device to: receive a first user interface from anelectronic receipt system, the first user interface being displayable ona display of the user device and including: transaction details about atransaction between a user of the user device and a third party; and afirst selection option that is selectable by the user via the userdevice for viewing an electronic document comprising a receipt for thetransaction; based on a first selection of the first selection option,receive a second user interface from the electronic receipt system, thefirst user interface being displayable on the display of the user deviceand including: the electronic document; and a second selection optionthat is selectable by the user via the user device for modifyingmetadata associated with the receipt, the metadata including (1) senderinformation corresponding to a sender of the receipt to an electronicmail (email) server via an email message and (2) timestamp informationcorresponding to a date and time that the email message was received bythe email server or stored in a common inbox of the email server, andthe metadata being different from receipt content within the emailmessage; based on a second selection of the second selection option,enable the user to modify the metadata associated with the receipt;receive modified metadata for the receipt as user input; and transmitthe modified metadata to the electronic receipt system, wherein theelectronic receipt system is configured to store the modified metadatain relation to the receipt, and wherein the electronic receipt system isconfigured to identify a secure record of the transaction stored in adatabase based on the timestamp information in the metadata.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprisingprogram code that is executable by the processing device to cause theprocessing device to receive a third user interface from the electronicreceipt system, the third user interface including: a first input optionfor allowing the user to modify the sender information; and a secondinput option for allowing the user to input a description of thetransaction.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim15, further comprising program code that is executable by the processingdevice to cause the processing device to receive a third user interfacefrom the electronic receipt system, the third user interface includingan input option for allowing the user to modify the timestampinformation associated with the transaction.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the user device includes arecording device, and further comprising program code that is executableby the processing device to cause the processing device to: operate therecording device to capture an image of a new receipt for a secondtransaction between the user and a new third party; receive an inputfrom the user, the input including a receipt detail corresponding to thenew receipt, the receipt detail including at least one of (1) a name ofthe new third party, (2) a transaction date of the second transaction,or (3) a description of the second transaction; and transmit the imageand the receipt detail to the electronic receipt system for storage. 19.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, furthercomprising program code that is executable by the processing device tocause the processing device to receive, from the electronic receiptsystem: a third user interface including details corresponding to thesecond transaction and a third selection option, the third selectionoption being selectable by the user via the user device for associatingthe image and the receipt detail with the secure record.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprisingprogram code that is executable by the processing device to cause theprocessing device to receive authentication information from the user ofthe user device for authenticating the user with the electronic receiptsystem to access the secure record of the transaction between the userand the third party.